


in the light of the pale moon

by libraryofruina



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, I don't know what to tag this, i'm sorry in advance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25933852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/libraryofruina/pseuds/libraryofruina
Summary: It takes something big, something larger than life to knock him off the tracks, even momentarily, to trigger a moment where even he, an ever-moving object, would halt and pause. Gen, of course, could count these moments on one hand. Stopping for more than a few seconds could ruin his perfectly crafted performance, running every hour of every day, from sleep to wake.OR: I just wanted to write about Gen having a pet rabbit. But, that didn't work out quite how I wanted it to...
Relationships: Asagiri Gen & Ishigami Senkuu, Asagiri Gen & Suika, Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu - Implied
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	in the light of the pale moon

**Author's Note:**

> warning for a very brief mention of slight animal abuse: to skip, go from "“No, no, nothing like that~”" to "Gen looks up at Senku," and you should be good, although there's like... not... much space in between those, but just as a warning

Gen's mind is constantly buzzing. Watching everyone around him, thinking three or four steps forwards and even backwards. On occasion, he'll lapse out of it into something considered closer to the "usual", although it’s a special type of unnerving, the grinding halt of a brain running at 300MPH and the silence that followed. 

Stone cold silence, if you will.

But it takes something big, something larger than life to knock him off the tracks, even momentarily, to trigger a moment where even he, an ever-moving object, would halt and pause. Gen, of course, could count these moments on one hand. Stopping for more than a few seconds could ruin his perfectly crafted performance, running every hour of every day, from sleep to wake.

Even waking up after thousands and thousands of years of sleep, he'd instantly gotten moving again, gotten back into the rhythm of things. Tsukasa had pulled him out of sleep and into wake, into movement again, without a moment to fully process and _understand_ the reality of the situation. 

And although he wouldn't show it nor say it, at least not without pretense, Gen loathed Tsukasa for this action. Just a little bit. 

But even that wasn't enough to trip him up. He kept going and going and _going_ , until he saw those letters etched in that tree. The date of a certain man's de-petrification. Gen felt himself stop moving, like his feet were glued to the ground, like he'd become stone once more.

And just a little bit, he understands the wonder in the eyes of the children who watch him perform. A feeling like his heart is being twisted, the never ending desire to know just what in the _hell_ this was all about--

He runs his fingers down the etched date that Ishigami Senku had written, and feels an unfamiliar, _genuine_ smile on his face. He'd stopped both literally and figuratively. Though Gen doesn't know what name to put to this feeling, he knows it's there, recognizes its existence, and tucks it away for… later.

Up ahead, Tsukasa stops, his head turning to meet eyes with Gen. They narrow, and Gen gives a small laugh. 

"Sorry, sorry, Tsukasa-chan~" Gen quips, moving forward once more. "It's just, I'm sooo achey after being stone. Wouldn't you agree~?" 

He shoots the Mentalist a look and Gen forces out a slightly threatened laugh. Jeez.

Right, right. He'll tuck that strange feeling away for later. Because now, there was work to be done…

The next time doesn't happen until some time later. Again, though, it relates to Senku again in a way that's almost frustrating. Sure, the ramen and the grueling work causes a pause, but not one that has Gen tripping over himself like before.

It's at night, watching Senku climb up to the top of his little lab with a proud smirk on his face, of all things. It doesn't _need_ to be done that high up, but just like Gen, Senku's nothing _but_ theatric at times, although he'd very likely deny it.

And, sure, the whole making light in a stone age thing? Impressive as hell. But if Gen's being honest, really, truly _honest?_

The light Senku held in his hands was nothing compared to the warm pride on his face, and the almost melancholy, distant look in his eyes. 

Again, _again,_ he stops in his tracks, his heart twists in his chest, and Gen smiles.

* * *

Gen is genuinely _relieved_ the next time he trips over himself and it doesn't have to do with Senku. Seriously, it was getting ridiculous. 

This time, it happens while on a leisurely forest stroll with none other than Suika and her dog, Chalk. The two of them get along well, and Chalk had taken to Gen--as most animals seemed to do.

As they walk, chatting about something or other going on in the village--nothing important, not really--Chalk begins to bark, his tail wagging happily and eagerly. He sits and waits, staring up at the two of them for approval to move forward.

"Oh! Suika knows what's up ahead! Chalk, wait here, please! You'll scare them off… sorry about that," She pets him on the head, gently scratching behind his ears as she does. Gen raises a brow, and stares forwards, seeing nothing but tall grass. "C'mon!!"

And Suika takes his hand and pulls him forward, and Gen finds himself laughing at her sudden eagerness. Whatever could be so exciting? 

They part through the tall grass, the area around them finally clear, and Suika stops and proudly gestures to what's in front of them now--

A family of rabbits--or, hares, perhaps. 

And Gen stops. He stops long enough that Suika frowns and looks up at him, and he quickly smiles, but there's doubt in her eyes. "Do you not like bunnies?"

"Oh, no, no, Suika-chan," Gen slowly leans down, carefully so as not to startle the small animals--and he's always moved with delicacy and poise, so he's lowered to his knees without startling a single one of them. "Quite the opposite, in fact~"

One of the rabbits spots Gen, its ears perking cutely up. It stands on its hind legs, sniffing at the air, and slowly moves forwards towards Gen. He reaches his hand out, slowly and calmly.

The rabbit nuzzles up against his hand. 

"Wow…!" Suika exclaims, her mouth opening wide, before changing into a bright and beaming smile. "How did you do that???"

Gen softly chuckles, running his finger along the rabbit's head. More of the rabbits perk up and hop towards the Mentalist, one of them pressing its foot on his knee, looking up expectantly at him. He smiles, and pets it too. Suika looks on with awe.

“You’re good with animals, Suika-chan, so this’ll be easy for you~” Gen motions her closer. “Here, you just need to get down veeeery slowly~ they startle easy, so slow and steady does it.” 

She does as he suggests, eyes sparkling. “Now what?”

“Just wait for oneee~ second, and…” He holds that last syllable, waiting until…

One of the rabbits hops up to Suika, its lips curled up into a smile. Her grin widens even further, and she looks over at Gen with sparkling eyes. She runs her finger down the animal’s face, like Gen did.

 _Ah,_ Gen thinks, _she’s becoming rather observant. Learning from the best…_

He pets the rabbit in his lap, smoothing its ears back with one hand, petting another with his other hand. Gen feels his eyes soften and his heartbeat calm. Really, rabbits were always so relaxing… 

“Somehow, you with a rabbit is suiting!” 

“Is that so~” He laughs, and the rabbit in his arms paws at his chest, and just like that, Gen’s reminded of another time that feels so far away, now. The wind blows, and he feels his hair brush against his own cheek, as he’s taken back.

* * *

_“I’m home,” Gen calls out, softly, setting his school bag on the ground as he unlaces his shoes, tucking them away. He silently walks through the kitchen, passing a note on the table. Ignoring it, he walks down the hall to his bedroom, opening the door and shutting it behind him._

_Gen releases a long, long sigh. But, his face brightens up as he walks towards the corner of his room. “I’m home, Houdini! Here, I’ll let you out of your cage now.”_

_His pet bunny, Houdini’s ears perk up, eyes wide, clearly happy that Gen has returned. When Gen leans down to open the cage, the rabbit immediately climbs in his lap, nuzzling up against him. Gen laughs._

_“Hold on, hold on! Let me change first, I’ll get your hair all over my uniform!”_

_After he does, Houdini snuggles up in Gen’s lap as he works on drafts of magic tricks, with scarcely a care in the world, petting his bunny idly as time ticks away._

* * *

They return back to the village a short while from sundown. This, of course, is unusual for the three of them--although it’s rarely a cause for concern unless they’re out when it’s begun to get dark. Gen is many things, but he’d never put a child in danger. If things were bound to get sticky, he’d send Suika back to the village.

Despite the knowledge that they were most likely fine, the villagers seem to breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing the three of them return. Gen gives them a little wave, and a small smile. His heart feels both light and heavy at the same time, and he pushes it aside. Saves it to… savor, for later.

Yeah. Savor.

Totally.

“You were gone longer than usual, Mentalist.” Senku says, and although his words and tone are blunt, Gen knows better than to assume he’s mad. If anything, he was curious, bordering on worried. Although it’s unlikely the scientist would get actually worried before sundown. Past it, maybe. 

“We saw bunnies!” Suika exclaims, and Chalk barks, wagging his tail. “Gen showed me how to get close to them so they wouldn’t run away, and Suika got to pet them!”

“Huh.” He replies, glancing over at Gen. There’s a look in his eyes that the Mentalist almost dislikes, but finds more amusing than anything else. “Somehow that’s a suiting mental image.” 

“Yup, yup~” Gen laughs, waving idly with his hand. “Magicians, Mentalists, and rabbits go together well, don’t they? Although I never did anything like pull a rabbit out of a hat.”

“Hmm…” Senku hums, and Suika beams.

“He was really good with them! Even though he didn’t give them treats or anything, they just came up to him and jumped in his lap!”

Alright, now Senku looks amused for sure. “Who are you, Snow White?”

“I’m honored at the compliment, Senku-chan~”

“It wasn’t, but you’re welcome.” 

The two of them continue to talk about what happened while Gen and Suika were away, and the girl wanders away from the conversation, Chalk tailing behind her. Eventually, the conversation dies down, Senku running out of updates and Gen… 

Not really being in the mood to talk, not really. He still would, of course, but…

“So there was just a field with rabbits in it?” Senku asks, delicate as always with segueing the conversation in the direction he wanted. Gen feels the corners of his lips turn up, despite himself.

“Yup, yup~ Suika-chan found it, although perhaps Chalk-chan found it first~ he started barking, and, well… There they were!” 

“And they just came up to you? Were they attracted to what was in your pockets or something?”

“Nope~ I don’t keep anything like that with me, Senku-chan. I suppose they just like me.”

“...I said it before, but it really fits.” Senku snorts, and Gen tucks his hands into his sleeves.

“I’m sure it does~ Although, I’ve owned a rabbit before.”

“I thought you said you didn’t do anything like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Mentalist?” 

“I didn’t~ he was simply my pet. I didn’t use him for anything like tricks. Although, he did know a few. He came when his name was called, he knew how to sit, stand, and wait~ he was a very impressive rabbit.” 

“Huh… was he a gift or something? From your parents?” 

It wasn’t a subject Gen particularly disliked, talking about his parents. But, if he deflected, avoided the subject, or changed the subject entirely… well, it just couldn’t be helped, could it? 

“No, no, nothing like that~” Gen makes a few flashy gestures with his hands, ones that Senku watches, and narrows his eyes at. “Although, I suppose it could be considered sort of a gift~?”

“...Do I want to know what that’s supposed to mean?”

“When I was younger, someone left a rabbit in my school locker,” Gen explains, trying his damndest not to look at Senku’s expression, because he doesn’t want to see it, not right now. But at the same time he doesn’t want to miss it. “Luckily, he wasn’t in there for very long, and was fine. But, since it wasn’t one of the school’s rabbits, I couldn’t just leave him there, so I took him home, and then bought him a cage and all that~” 

A feeling like his heart is being squeezed, being pulled out of his chest by a hand with long nails piercing into him. Maybe it shows on his face. Maybe it doesn’t. Gen doesn’t care, and he’s not looking at Senku’s face right now in the hopes he can’t see his.

“...You do seem like the type to get bullied in school.”

Gen looks up at Senku, staring at him wide-eyed for a split second before laughing. The tension’s gone, thank fucking god. “So cruel, Senku-chan~ I’ll have you know I was _very_ popular. I’m sure they were just jealous~”

Part of him wonders, if Senku did that on purpose? Especially in a situation where Gen himself wasn't bringing up the mood and lightening the tension as he usually does. And for that, Gen feels himself smile, a soft, gentle warmth in his chest.

“I’m sure. What, exactly, were they jealous of, Mentalist?”

Gen winks, turning towards Senku fully. “My good looks and outstanding personality~” 

He laughs at that, a smirk, that irritating smirk of his on full display--“I’m sure, Gen.”

“Riiight~?”

“What was his name?”

“Hmm~?” 

“Your rabbit’s, I mean.” 

Gen pauses, and smiles. “I think, if you thought about it hard enough, _you_ might be able to guess it, Senku-chan. I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”

“You really need to give me a riddle?” 

He lets out a carefree giggle. “I’ll give you two chances, Senku-chan~ come to me in the morning, and we can see if you got your answers correctly or not.” 

Senku eyes him, arms crossing over his chest, as he does. He looks like he’s trying to read Gen, but whether or not he’s _succeeding_ is hard to say. Although Gen likes to think he’s unreadable, undecipherable--or at least, he tries to be--but, still, there wasn’t very much to understand, was there? A Mentalist, a magician, dyed in both black and white, one shade much heavier than the other, the same color as his nonexistent morality. 

If nothing else, he is a shallow man, after all…

“What do I get if I’m right?”

Gen pulls his hand out of his sleeve, resting his finger on his chin, pretending to be very, very deep in thought. He gives a grin, a flower appearing in his hands. Senku looks unimpressed. Lame. “The satisfaction of being right~”

Senku just _stares_ at him. 

“Fine, fine~! Since you want to twist my arm about it… I’ll show you how to approach rabbits. You’re too direct, Senku-chan, so I’m sure you’d just scare them off if you tried to get close to them. Maybe, if you’re lucky, they’ll even let you pet them~”

That grin is back, and with a hand on his hip, Senku gives a small nod. “Fine by me, Mentalist. I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

“Yup~” Gen turns away, pauses, and then turns back. “Goodnight, Senku-chan.”

“...Goodnight, Gen.”

Later that night, if Gen’s expression softens, or is more genuine than usual, and there’s no one around to notice how, in the light of the pale moon, his expression seems forlorn and melancholy, one uncharacteristic to see on his face… 

As long as no one sees, then perhaps, just for now, it’s alright to stop in his tracks, and experience everything much closer, and much farther, than he would let himself in the day.

**Author's Note:**

> if you see a typo: no you didn't ❤ 
> 
> it's 5am and i'll fix them in the morning don't worry. whenever i wake up i will. i promise. anyways i just wanted to write about gen having a pet rabbit that was given to him but it. it. it got kind of wildly out of hand i am so sorry but also not at all. asagiri gen pay fucking rent
> 
> okay yeah i'm too tired to think of a further's author note but thank you for reading i'm so sorry also. i'm sorry. but like not really. but also--
> 
> if you enjoyed, feel free to leave a kudo, a comment, or hmu on twitter @peakyypkey~! also if you're from any of my persona fics i'm so sorry i have college and then i regained my dr stone brain worms (RUNNING FULL SPEED IN THE OTHER DIRECTION)


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